Man whose dad killed his rapist on TV and walked away free opens up about effect it’s had on his life
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse and rape which some readers may find distressing.
A man who was 'raped, molested and kidnapped' by his karate teacher has revealed how he's doing forty years on.
Starting when he was 11 years old, unbeknownst to his parents, Jody Plauché was raped and abused by his karate teacher.
He was first enrolled into the class of 25-year-old Jeff Doucet in 1983 and nearly a year later, the situation would escalate even further.
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Jody was in fifth grade when he started being taught by 25-year-old Doucet, attending class alongside his siblings.
From March 1983, Jody was groomed and also raped by his instructor and on 14 February 1984, with Doucet scheduled to appear in court over some owed money, the karate instructor decided to make a run for it, taking Jody with him to a motel in Anaheim, California.
Jody tells The Mirror that Doucet saw him as a 'love interest'.
A nationwide search was announced and police eventually tracked Jody down on 29 February after Doucet allowed him to call his mother from the motel.
Jody was thankfully returned to his family on 1 March, however, the ordeal was far from over yet.
On 16 March, 1983, Doucet was transported back to Louisiana to face trial and Jody's dad, Gary Plauché, had caught wind of Doucet landing at Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport from an employee of local ABC affiliate WBRZ-TV.
As the teacher was being led out by police officers - WBRZ camera crew at the ready - the father drew out a gun and shot Doucet in the head.
Despite wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses to try and conceal his identity, Gary was quickly identified and pinned down by police officials. The incident was caught on camera, with officials questioning him: "Why Gary why?"
Doucet fell into a coma but later passed away and despite initially being charged with second-degree murder, Gary took a plea bargain - pleading no contest to manslaughter - and was handed a seven years' suspended sentence, five years' probation and 300 hours of community service, with no prison time.
Immediately after the ordeal, Jody says he was definitely slightly depressed and emotional, talking more about his experienced in his book Why Gary Why?: The Jody Plauché Story.
Four decades on and Jody tells The Mirror his life 'is great' after his dad 'killed [his] rapist on live TV'.
He said: "I wouldn't trade a thing."
Gary completed his sentence by 1989, however, in 2011, he suffered a stroke and later passed away in 2014 at the age of 68.
Jody has gone on to work in the field of violence prevention, as per his website, and frequently publicly speaks out about his story.
Why? Well, he resolves: "I hope to let victims know that if you've been through something like that, with the proper support, you can be OK.
"You can turn your life around. You're not scarred for life. You're not damaged goods. Your innocence - that may have been taken, but for the most part, you're going to be OK."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Male Survivors Partnership is available to support adult male survivors of sexual abuse and rape. You can contact the organisation on their website or on their free helpline 0808 800 5005, open 9am–8pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 8am–8pm Tuesdays and Thursdays; 10am–2pm Saturdays.
Topics: Crime, Mental Health, Parenting, True crime, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck